


Rosh Hashanah

by gracedameron



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Davey's family is huge and loud and crazy, F/M, Gen, I just really love Newsies, Jack and Kath are very cute, Jack loves his family, Rosh Hashanah, Sarah Jacobs is mentioned, Very Jewish, inspired by the many jewish families I nanny for and how they celebrate the holiday!, very found family aesthetic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 14:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12191532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracedameron/pseuds/gracedameron
Summary: Davey invites Jack and Katherine to celebrate the Jewish New Year with him and his family.





	Rosh Hashanah

*

“It’s what now?” Jack Kelly asked, looking at his friend slightly confused.

“It’s  _ Rosh Hashanah _ ,” Davey Jacobs repeated. “The Jewish New Year. My folks are makin’ a big feast for the first night, and I wanted to know if you and Katherine would join us to ring in the new year.” 

Jack looked surprised. “We’s ain’t Jewish though,” he said, “I don’t wanna intrude on no family celebration.” 

“No, I want you to come! We can’t go to Jacobi’s since he’ll be closed up for the holiday too, but why break our Wednesday tradition now?” 

Jack gave it some thought. “Yous sure it’s alright with ya folks?” he asked, and Davey nodded.

“Mom was the one who suggested it. Holidays are to celebrate with friends and family. You and Katherine are family to us.” 

Jack’s heart swelled with pride at that and he wiped at his nose. “Alright, yeah. I’ll talk to Kath about it. What time you want us there?” 

Davey grinned. “Eight?” 

“Eight it is.” Jack said with a nod. “Anythin’ I gotta know so I’s not disrespectful? I don’t know much about Jewish holidays.” 

Davey laughed, shaking his head. “Come as you are. I’ll teach you and Kath all about it tonight. Mom’s making food and sweets, plenty to go around.” he assured Jack. 

“Can we bring ya anything?” Jack offered, and Davey shook his head again.

“Just yourselves.” 

“Alright Davey, you gots yourself a deal. I’ll sees ya at eight.” 

“Looking forward to it.” Davey said before he squeezed Jack’s shoulder good naturedly and waved goodbye as he walked out of the art department’s work room in  _ The World _ . 

Jack smiled to himself as he went back to the piece he was working on, wondering how he got lucky enough to have a friend as good as Davey Jacobs in his life.

*

“Evenin’ Mr. Brenner,” Jack said as he stepped through the front doors of  _ The Sun’s  _ main lobby. “How’ve ya been?” 

The doorman nodded to Jack in greeting. 

“Mr. Kelly, has it been twenty-four hours already?” Mr. Brenner asked flatly, and Jack smirked. 

“We’ve got a fun back ‘n forth, you an’ me.” he joked, playfully hitting the doorman’s shoulder, making him grimace in Jack’s direction. “Good ta see ya.” 

Jack continued through the building, taking the elevator to the newsroom floor, and took a seat at Katherine’s desk while he waited for her to get out of a meeting with her editor. He spun around in her chair, glancing at the cluttered desk, littered with notes for upcoming stories and projects, circled passages of various editorials and articles, pen marks and ink smears covering the wooden desk. He grinned at the pictures she had framed on her desk, all things he’d drawn. They should get a professional portrait taken, he mused. More than just the drawings he’d done, the blurry Brownie-camera photos she’d printed, and the strike photo she’d framed on her desk. Maybe for their wedding.  _ Because you knows I wanna to remember that for a lifetime _ . 

Jack spun around again, smiling as he saw Katherine step out of her editor’s office, chewing on the end of her pencil and still reading her notebook as she started toward her desk. 

“Busy day?” Jack asked, making Katherine jump as she nearly sat down on him, not even noticing him at her desk despite this being their daily routine. 

Katherine laughed at herself and nodded, planting a kiss on Jack’s temple. 

“Very.” she leaned into him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Yours?” 

“Same as always,” he told her. “Ay, you gots plans tonight?” 

Katherine raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know,” she said, “Do we have plans tonight?” Jack smirked. Their plans were typically with one another, and it was very rare that their schedules didn’t line up.

“We do!” Jack teased, “Davey’s folks invited us to dinner. It’s some new year holiday celebration and he wanted us to come.” 

“Rosh Hashanah,” Katherine said with a nod. “That’s so sweet of them. Should we bring anything?” 

“Davey said just ourselves. We’re meetin’ ‘em at their apartment at eight.” 

Katherine grinned. “Sounds lovely.” she flipped her notebook over and put it down on her desk. “I’ve had enough work for the day,” she said simply, “This can all wait until tomorrow. Let’s go home.” 

Jack stood from her chair and held out his arm, which Katherine wrapped hers around. “Home it is.” 

*

Jack awkwardly tugged at his vest for the third time on the walk over to the Jacobs’ small tenement apartment, Kathering raising her eyebrow at him suspiciously. 

“Jack Kelly are you  _ nervous _ ?” she asked, laughing a little at his indignant expression. 

“What? No!” he rolled his shoulders, shaking his head at her. “‘Course not.”

“You’ve been to Davey’s apartment before,” she reminded him, “And you’ve met his parents. This is no different than when we had him and Les over for our holiday party.” 

Jack laughed a little. “It is different,” he protested, “This is a  _ family _ holiday celebration, not like Hanukkah or nothin’, where he brings the candles to your place and lights ‘em up for Les.” 

Katherine gave him a smile. “He wouldn’t have invited us if he didn’t want us there, love. Don’t overthink this, just have fun.” 

Jack huffed but nodded, straightening his hat and taking Katherine’s hand in his as they started up the stairs of the building to the apartment. Katherine grinned at the sound of boisterous laughter and the smell of good food coming from the Jacobs’ apartment. Jack knocked on the door, and was met instantly with a short older woman, who looked him and Katherine up and down and then shouted something down the hall in Yiddish, closing the door halfway as she shuffled away. 

Katherine laughed as Davey ran to the door to catch it before it closed, and ushered Jack and Katherine inside and out of the chilly night air. 

“Don’t mind  _ Bubbe _ ,” Davey assured them, “She’s just cranky because we haven’t eaten yet.” 

Jack and Kath both laughed, embracing Davey as he greeted them. The apartment was filled with noise and people, the already crowded Jacobs’ apartment suddenly grew by another ten members, and almost no one was speaking English. 

“Nice hat,” Jack commented, noting that Davey’s typical newsboy cap was now replaced with a little suede circle hat on the top of his head. Davey smirked.

“Thanks. It’s a  _ kippah _ , somethin’ special for the holidays.” 

Jack nodded in approval, giving Davey a grin. “You’s sure there’s room for us?” he joked, and Davey laughed. 

“Always.” he said sincerely, “Come on, I’ll introduce ya to everyone.” Davey was about to start the introductions when his little brother Les barrelled in from the kitchen, two cousins younger than him following. 

“Jack!!” he cried with excitement, rushing over and wrapping Jack’s legs in a tight hug. “What’re you doin’ here?” 

Jack laughed, bending down next to Les. “I’m here to celebrate the New Year,” he told the kid, who was now closer to 12 than he was to 8 or 9, but he was going to hang onto his boyish charm to sell papes as long as he could. 

“Ya are?” Les grinned the biggest grin, looking up at Davey for confirmation, who nodded. 

“I invited them,” Davey explained, and Les’s grin somehow grew even wider. 

“Hooray!” he cheered, giving Katherine a hug too, and then racing back down the hall as Mrs. Jacobs’ voice echoed from the kitchen looking for him. 

“Ain’t he excited,” Jack commented, and Davey rolled his eyes a little. 

“He’s had  _ way _ too much sugar,” he explained, “And Mom hasn’t even brought out the apples and honey yet.” 

“Mmm,” Katherine smiled, “That sounds delicious.” 

“It’s a tradition,” Davey told her, “For a sweet year ahead. All the food is going to covered in honey and sugar.” 

“Now that’s a holiday tradition I’s can get behind,” Jack said. He glanced down as he was nearly bulldozed by a toddler, who was chasing Les back through the small apartment’s living room and down the hall. Jack had been to the Jacob’s apartment before, a few times actually, but he’d never seen it filled with so many people. He honestly didn’t realize that Davey had such a big family. He thought that having three siblings was a lot, but now he realized that Sarah, Les and baby Isaac were just the tip of the Jacobs Family iceberg. 

“Just how big of a family do ya got?” Jack asked, laughing as Les rushed past him again, the younger cousin ducking under Katherine’s skirts, making her laugh out loud. 

Davey groaned and grabbed Les by the collar, saying something firmly to him in Yiddish, to which Les nodded and ran back into the kitchen, cousins in tow. 

Davey sighed. “Very big.” he admitted. “You’ve met Sarah, Les and the baby, plus our folks...my grandmother is here, so are my mom’s sisters, my dad’s brother, all their kids...it’s a lot of people in an apartment that barely fits our family as it is.” 

“I didn’t realize how many of thems ya have, Davey,” Jack said, “And they don’t drive ya crazy?” 

Davey grinned. “That’s debatable. Why do you think I sneak away to the Lodging house whenever I can?” 

Jack smirked, and then followed as Davey led him and Katherine through the crowded living room, introducing them to all the aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. Jack knew he wouldn’t remember any of their names, but was polite if not uncomfortable just the same. 

The same old woman who’d opened the door, (what’d Davey call her?  _ Bubbe _ .) stood in the doorway of the kitchen, and Davey gently guided her out of the way so Jack and Katherine could enter. 

Bubbe was a short old woman with furrowed brows who loitered around the microscopic apartment kitchen, nagging at Davey’s mother, who was, as Jack understood it, not cooking enough or fast enough for everyone waiting on her. 

Mrs. Jacobs grinned broadly to see Jack and Katherine standing in the doorway of the kitchen and instantly stopped what she was doing and rushed over to hug them both, kissing their cheeks in greeting. 

“ _ L’shana Tova _ , my sweets!” she cried, peppering Jack and Katherine with multiple questions, simultaneously handing Davey his infant brother Isaac, who started crying, and going back to her cooking due to her mother-in-law’s Yiddish nagging. 

Jack’s head spun a little with all the chaos the Jacobs’ home was in but smiled anyway. “Happy New Year Mrs. J,” Jack drawled, “An’ thanks for invitin’ us over, you seem like ya gotcha hands full as is!” 

Mrs. Jacobs’ smile was warm and friendly and exactly what Jack figured a mother’s smile should look like. Her cheeks were pink and her dark hair was pulled back away from her face, and she wore an apron that she wiped her hands on. 

“You, Jackie, are always welcome in my home.” she told him, and then giving Katherine a loving look, added, “As are you, Katherine dear.” 

Katherine smiled back, getting thoroughly distracted by the baby crying in Davey’s arms. Davey rocked the baby expertly, and after a few moments he calmed down, and Katherine offered to hold him, which Davey obliged. 

“Aww, thanks Mrs. J.” Jack said, “You need help with anything?”

“David!” Bubbe took Davey by the shoulder and muttered things in Yiddish that Jack wished he could understand, since he knew they were about him. Katherine looked up from baby Isaac to watch Jack getting scrutinized by Davey’s grandmother, to which Davey snapped,

“ _ Luzzem, Bubbe. Tsugebundnkayt me.”  _

Bubbe huffed a sigh and shuffled from the kitchen, much to Mrs. Jacobs’ relief, and Davey shook his head. Jack raised a brow. 

“What, am I’s in trouble or somethin’?” he asked, and Davey laughed. 

“Course not. She wanted to know why I invited a Gentile to the party.” Davey explained, “And I told her you’re my best friend, so I want you here.” 

Jack felt a warm-fuzzy feeling in his chest grow, and between Davey being protective of their friendship and Katherine holding a baby, Jack wasn’t sure he could handle just how big his heart was swelling. So he gave Davey a classic Jack Kelly smirk, and brushed him off. 

“Oh, shuddap,” he teased lightly, nudging Davey in the shoulder. Davey laughed and nudged back, and Katherine shook her head at them. 

“Alright my  _ bubbalas _ ,” Mrs. Jacobs said, tweaking Jack’s cheek as she stepped past him to grab pot-holders from the other side of the kitchen counter, “We’re just about ready to eat. David, go find Les and the  _ pirkhey,  _ and make sure they wash up!” she instructed, and Davey nodded, starting from the kitchen, down the hall. “Katherine love, would you mind helping me with bringing some dishes to the table?” 

Katherine’s face lit up at being able to help. “Of course,” she said, gently placing Davey’s baby brother in Jack’s arms, much to Jack’s surprise. He awkwardly held the baby, not sure exactly what to do with it. 

“Uhh, Ace?” he asked, and Katherine laughed, adjusting his hands to hold the now getting tired baby to his chest. 

“Just relax.” Katherine cooed, stroking the baby’s head and then pressing a feather light kiss to Jack’s cheek. “Hold him just like that, and if he cries, find Davey.” 

Mrs. Jacobs chuckled as she watched how carefully Jack held the baby, rocking it awkwardly and stepping out of the way as Katherine came through with hot dishes of….Jack made a face. Fish heads??

“I made other food too,” Mrs. Jacobs’ assured him, “You think all those little ones are going to eat fish heads for dinner?” she laughed, shaking her head. “It’s mostly a tradition for the  _ altitshkers _ .” she laughed again when Jack clearly didn’t know what she meant and amended, “ _ Old people _ .” 

He laughed too this time and followed Mrs. Jacobs from the kitchen and was impressed with the elaborately decorated dining room table. It had been extended past the six person table he’d recognized and was now big enough to fit everyone. There had to be six or seven card or tea tables used to extend the table. Jack wondered if everyone brought a table when they came over. Should he and Katherine have brought a table?

Dozens of candles were lit and the feast table was decorated with gold and silver dishes and decorations. Tons of food, maybe more food than Jack had seen in a long time, was spread across the table. Almost every dish was dripping with honey. Fruit he’d never seen before sat on golden platters like something out of a dream. 

_ Davey gets to eat like this every holiday? _ Jack wondered. How did they afford all this? All of that fruit had to be expensive. Jack calculated how many papes Davey and Les would have to sell to pay for this meal, and it quickly topped three week’s worth.  _ Good thing Mr. J is back to work. _ He mused. 

Davey laughed a little at the sight of Jack holding a baby, especially since it was pretty clear that he hadn’t held one before. He subconsciously bounced back and forth lightly on his feet to rock the infant to sleep, and little Isaac’s eyes were shut with a thumb tucked neatly in his little mouth. 

“You got him to sleep,” Davey commented, as family members filed into the dining room and started taking seats at the table, “Good job. Let’s put him down so we can eat.” 

Jack nodded and followed Davey to the family room where the baby’s cradle was, and Davey carefully took his baby brother from Jack’s arms and laid him down in the cradle. The two went back into the dining room and Jack commented, 

“So, fish heads?” 

“We have a ram’s head too,” Davey told him, and Jack snorted. 

“I don’t have to eat that, do I?” 

Davey gagged a little. “God, no. I don’t even eat it. It’s a symbolic thing for the old folks. It means  _ “we be a head, not a tail.”  _ but honestly, it’s disgusting.” 

Jack laughed, and so did Davey. Jack met Katherine at the table and slipped his hand into hers, Davey showing them to their seats, right between him and Les, who demanded that he get to sit next to Jack. Jack and Katherine both stayed quiet and respectful, observing as opening prayers were said, more candles were lit, and thanks were given for the food in front of them. Mr. Jacobs led the prayer and continued it in English after finishing the traditional prayer ( _ Kiddush, Davey had called it _ ) and thanked God for everyone’s health, safety and success. He added additional blessings for the new baby, only two months old, and then extended blessings to Jack and Katherine and thanked them for joining them for the holiday. 

Jack felt a blush creep up his neck at the attention of the table being turned on him and Katherine spoke up. 

“Thank you again for your generous invitation, we’re both so honored to celebrate with you.” she smiled at Jack, Davey, and then Mr. Jacobs, holding up her wine glass to match Mr. Jacobs’, and the rest of the family cheered and followed suit, toasting the Jewish New Year. The family members rang out toasts, some in Yiddish and some in English. 

“To health!”

“To prosperity!”

“To success!” 

Davey smiled at Jack and Katherine as he raised his glass and added, “To family.” 

Jack felt that warm-fuzzy feeling swell back in his chest. Family. It was something he always longed to have, something he treasured. He had a family, in the Newsies, in Katherine, in Crutchie, and sure, Davey too. But he also knew that Davey had his own family, a blood family, with a mother and father and siblings and his first loyalties were to them. But to hear Davey admit to thinking of Jack as family too filled Jack with pride like he’d never felt before. He found Katherine’s hand under the table and squeezed it tight and then smiled at his friend; his brother.

Jack raised his glass and clinked it against Katherine’s. Les tugged on Jack’s sleeve and held up his water glass, which Jack clinked his cup against too, before reaching over to Davey’s glass.  

“To family.”

*

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I am not Jewish, but I work for several Jewish families who have taught me a lot about their traditions over the years! I love Jewish tradition, it’s very rich and meaningful and Yiddish is such a fun language. 90% of my Yiddish knowledge came from translation sites and children’s books I’ve read while nannying, so bear with me if there’s things wrong. If you are Jewish/speak Yiddish feel free to correct me! 
> 
> Yiddish Vocabulary:   
> Bubbe - Grandmother  
> Kippah - also, yarmulke. A traditional brimless cap worn by men. Orthodox Jews wear them all the time. I would imagine Davey wouldn’t wear it all the time, though his father or uncles might. Younger men typically wear them on holidays or while at temple.  
> L’shana Tova - traditional greeting, meaning “happy/blessed new year”  
> “Luzzem, Bubbe. Tsugebundnkayt me.” - Roughly, “Leave him alone, Grandma. That’s my best/closest friend.” Typically older/stricter members of the family are less open to changes in tradition (in any religion, tbh) and I could imagine that Davey’s grandma isn’t thrilled about the idea of a Gentile coming to a Jewish celebration. She warms up to the idea of Jack and Katherine celebrating with them, I’d like to think.   
> Bubbalas - darlings, sweethearts, a term of endearment.  
> Pirkhey - children, little children, a group of children (in this case, Les and Davey’s younger cousins!)  
> Altitshkers - Older people  
> Kiddush - Traditional evening prayer said before a meal. Details here: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/418881/jewish/Rosh-Hashanah-Evening-Kiddush.htm


End file.
